Bottle washing machine



Aug. 22, 1933. F. P. PERKINS Y 1,923,743

' BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE l Filed March 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l l", Q/XS fg (L [NVEN TOR.

Aug. 22, 1933.

nya-umu F. P. PERKINS 1,923,743

BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR.

@,/LQM, l/QW, me @M+/bw ATTORNEY.

Allg. 22, F p. PERK|N5 BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1931 3Sheets-Sheet 3 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\V il 4 INVENTOR.

M @M 3 v luzw, M,VL, 2Y?? 71M W v ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 22, 1933BOTTLE WASHING MACHINE Frank P. Perkins, Waukesha, Wis., assigner' toMichael Yundt Company, Waukesha, Wis., a Corporation of WisconsinApplication March 25, 1931. Serial No. 525,061 4 claims. (CI. 1'5-59)This invention relates in general to bottle cleaning or washingmachinery and more particularly to themeans for scrubbing the outsides'of the bottles.

5 In one type of bottle washing machinery well known and widely used,the bottles are placed in holders carried by an endless chain orconveyor within a soaker tank containing a heated caustic solution. AtYthe discharge end of the soaker tank the bottlesV are fed to an outsidescrubber which cleans the outsides of the bottles. From ,the outsidescrubbing means the bottles are carried into a washer which thoroughlycleans the insides of the bottles. Most bottles, and for example milk I5bottles, have the neck portion reduced or of smaller diameter than themain body portion of the bottle. This shape of the bottle has rendereditdiicult with prior constructions to thoroughly cleanthe entireoutsides oi the bottles.

One of theprincipal objects of the present in' vention is to provideanoutside scrubbbing means which effectively cleans and scrubs the necksas well as the main body portions of the bottles and which is equallyeffective with any of the various 2'5` sizes of bottles;

At further object-iste provide a bottle washingv machine havingthese-advantages and capacitiesv and'which is simple and durable inconstruction,

reliable `andfeife'ctiw'fe' in operation, and easy andA comparativelyinexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages reside in' certain novel features of theconstruction', arrangement and combination of parts which; will beherein- ,aftermore fully described and particularly 3`5'pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming apart of thisY specification, and in which:

Figure 1 isa fragmentaryview in side elevation showing' an outsidescrubbing mechanism for 40"' bottles embodying the present invention;

Figure 2! is a fragmentary :plan view along line 2-2 of Figure 1, aportion of the hollow supporting shaft for theV brush carrying arms`being broken away and shown in section for the sake ofillustration-showing the outside scrubbing mechanism of Figure 1';

Figure 3 is a view in section taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4is a view-in-vertical section on line 4-4f of Figure 1;- and sFigure 5 is a group view'v in perspective showing, the camsemployed forwashing bottles of different sizes. v

For a complete disclosure ofthe general structure of V ai bottlevwashing machine in which the crank arms 8 is as above noted, hollow, andfur'- outside scrubbing Amechanism embodying the present invention maybe advantageously employed, reference isimade to Patent 1,729,193,granted September 24, 1929, to Henry F. Stock, for a Bottle cleaningapparatus. p 6() Referring to Figure 1 it will be understood that afterthe bottles have passed through the soaking tank .(not shown) they slidedown inclines 76 and are stopped by snubbers 77 operating in the mannerdescribed in the patent referred to. As 65 l the bottles are releasedfrom the incline ,'76 they slide by gravity down into the spaces betweenlongitudinal extending and inclined` rollersv 1. The rollers 1 aresupported by shafts V,2 journaled in bearings 3 on a suitable frame work4. The 76 shafts 2 have sprocket wheels 5 xed to one end thereof andthese sprocket Wheels are rotated by means of a suitably driven sprocketchain 6'-, shown diagrammatically in Figure 2. As acon-` sequence therollers 1Y are turned or revolved and 75 they impart a rotation to thebottles about their longitudinal axis as` the bottles move down alongthe rollers 1.

For scrubbing the bottles a rotary scrubbing brush 6 is provided, thebrush being of cylindrical form and overlying and extending transverselyacross the rollers 1. The brush 6 has an axial shaft 7, each end ofwhich projects beyond the brush 4and is journaled in a crankA arm 8 Xedto a hollow supporting shaft 9, this shaft 9 being 85 journaled insuitable bearings provided therefor on the frame 4, one of thesebearings being shown at 10 in Figure 2. The brush 6 is rotated in acounter clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1 by means of a sprocketwheel 11 fixed to the shaft or axis 7 of the brush and a suitably drivensprocket chain 12 coacting with the sprocket wheel 11.

The supporting shaft 9 for the brush carrying ther is provided withperforations or spray openings 18. Water or cleansing fluid is sup'-plied to the interior of the hollow shaft v9' and preferably to one endthereof and this uidissues in the form: of downwardly directed spraysfrom the openings'13. It will be noted that, as shown indotted lines inFigure 1, the sprays are `directed towards the bottles and move in thesame general direction as the adjacent portion of thebrush 6. This tendsto concentrateV the sprays onto the surfaces of the bottles and anytendency on the part of the brush to obstruct the spraying of thebottles or throw the water away from the same is avoided.

When the bottles iirst slide down onto the llo rollers 1 they move bygravity but their progress along the rollers and toward the brush 6 iscontrolled by bumper fingers 15. These bumper fingers 15 are carried bytransverse bars 15 secured to a pair of endless sprocket chains 16extending longitudinally of and adjacent to the sides of the frame work4. For the sake of simplicity in illustration, only one such chain isillustrated in the drawings and, as shown in Figure l, is trained aboutsprocket wheels 17 at least one of which is positively driven. Thesprocket chains 16 also carry, or have fixed thereto, transverse bars18', to which push lingers 13 are secured. There is one set of bumperfingers yand push fingers between each pair of adjacent rollers 1 andthe bumper fingers and push fingers are of such size and are so shapedand arranged that they pass in between the rollers and project upwardlybeyond the tops thereof when traveling along with the top run of theirsprocket chain. The bumper and push fingers and their specific mountingper se, land aside froml their organizationY in the assembly, form nopart of this invention as they have long been known and used.

The brushV 6 is raised and lowered at predetermined times in order thatit may be Positioned' for effective scrubbing engagement with the necksof the bottles in one phase of the operation and for effective scrubbingengagement with the relatively larger body portions'of the `bottles inanother phase of the operation. This raisingand lowering, in thisembodiment of the invention, is carried out by securing to one end of.the supporting shaft 9 a crank arm 20. The end of the ,crank arm 20opposite that secured to the shaft 9 is pivoted to the upper end of anadjustable 27. A shaft is provided and has a bushing 28V pinned to oneend thereof and slidably fitted in the bearing opening 27. The shaft 30also has a .squared portion 30 fittedfor sliding movement in thecorrespondingly formed bearing opening 27. Intermediate its ends theshaft 30 has a follower 3l rotatively mounted thereon and selectivelyengageable with cams 32, 33 or 34 fixed f ,on a cam shaft 35. The shaft35 is journaled in bearings provided therefor on the bracket 24 and isdriven by gears 36 and 36" fixed respectively on the cam shaft 35 and ona shaft 37. This shaft 37 has one of the sprocket Wheels 17 fixedythereto and also has a sprocket wheel 38 suitably secured thereon andsuitably driven by a sprocket chain 39, as illustrated diagrammaticallyin Figure 1.

By sliding or adjusting the shaft 30 longitudinally, its follower 3l maybe engaged with either y'cam 32, cam 33 or cam 34. For holding the shaft30 in any of its longitudinal adjustments and also for indicating orfacilitating exact positioning in any selected adjustment the shaft 30is -formed with three spaced peripheral grooves 40, `-41 and 42 whichare selectively engageable with a latch plate 43 slidable in guides 44and having its lower end provided with a notch to permit the lower endto interengage with any one of the peripheral grooves in'such manner asto maintain the shaft 30 against longitudinal displacement. A handle 46facilitates adjustment of the latch plate. On the outer end of the shaft30 a knob 43 is provided to facilitate axial adjustment of the shaft 30.

In Figure 4 the follower 31 is shown engaged with the cam 33 which isshaped and designed for appropriately actuating the brush when quartbottles are being brushed. When theshaft is adjusted so that the latch43 engages the groove the follower will be engaged with cam 34 andsimilarly when latch 43 engages groove 42 the follower will be engagedwith the cam 32. The cam 32 is designed foi` use in washing pint bottlesand the cam 34 is for use in washing halfpint bottles. It is to beunderstood at this point that the number of cams provided may be variedand that they may be shaped and designed for washing bottles of sizesother than those specifically mentioned.

bumperfingers travel beneath the brush 6 the brush is elevated butimmediately thereafter, that is, when the bumper fingers are in theposition` shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, the low points ofthe cam inoperation come beneath the follower 31 so that the lever 22, link 21 andcrank arm 20 and consequently also the crank arms 8 and the brush 6 arelowered to the position shown in full lines in Figure v1, whereupon thebrush has scrubbing engagement with the necks of the bottles. Thiscondition obtains until one of the push fingers 18 engages the bottom ofthe bottle and starts to push the same beneath the brush 6. At this timethe higherpoints of the cam in operation comearound and engage thefollower A31 to lift the lever 22 and consequently also the brush 6 tothe dotted line position shown in Figure 1. In this way the reducednecks as Well as the main portions of the bottles are thoroughlyscrubbed.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a bottle washing machinefoutside scrubbing mechanism comprisinglongitudinally eX-v tending inclined rollers, between and on which thebottles are supported, means for rotating the rollers to causethebottles to rotate, push and bumper fingers movable between adjacentrollers and cooperable lwith the bottles for controlling their movementalong the rollers, a rotary brush overlying and extending transverselyto the rollers, a swingable support for said brush, cam means forswinging said support so as to lower the brush into engagement with thenecks of the bottles and to raise the brush for engagement with the bodyportions of the bottles, and aj synchronized drive for the push andbumper fingers and said cam means whereby the brush is lowered while thebottles are under the control of the bumper fingers and is raised whenthe bottles are pushed-under thebrush under the ac-` then away from thebrush, a swingable supportl for the brush and means for swinging saidsupport including a lever connectedto the support, an adjustablefollowercarried by said lever, a

plurality of cams, each of said cams being adaptf ed for a particularsize of bottle, and means for shifting'said follower to cause it toengage with any one of saidcamsuwhereby the movements.

of the brush are adapted to different sizes bottles.

3. In a bottle washing machine, outside scrubbing mechanism for thebottles including a rotary brush, feeding means for carrying the bottlestoward, into brushing engagement with and then away from the brush, aswingable support for the brush, means for swinging said supportincluding a lever connected to the support, a follower carried by thelever, a plurality of different cams supported for rotation on themachine, means for rotating the cams in synchronism with the operationof the feeding means and means rendering the cams selectively cooperablewith the follower to adapt the movements of the brush to different sizedbottles.

4. In a bottle washing machine, outside scrubbing mechanism for thebottles including a rowhich the follower is selectively cooperable toadapt the movements of the brush to different sized bottles, and meansfor moving said camsv in synchronism with the operation of the feedingmeans.

VFRANK P. PERKINS.

